INCLUSIVE BIRMINGHAM RUGBY TEAM ARRIVE IN ROME TO COMPETE IN THE LGBTQ+ RUGBY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

29 LGBTQ+ rugby players from the West Midlands are heading to Rome to compete in the Bingham Cup, recognised as the World Championship tournament for LGBTQ+ Rugby, with the aim of bringing back the cup to Birmingham.

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The Birmingham Bulls RFC, Birmingham’s inclusive rugby team, whose home ground is the Yardley & District RFC ground, has been going from strength to strength since it was established in 2011 and will be fielding its biggest tournament squad yet. This follows the momentous success of 2023’s IGR Union Cup which saw Birmingham’s inclusive rugby team host 46 teams and 1400 players from 18 countries for the biggest ever European LGBTQ+ Rugby tournament, which is estimated to have brought over £3.2million into the Birmingham Economy as well as a leap in LGBTQ+ players training with the club.

The biennial Bingham Cup, which runs from the 23rd to 26th May will this year be held in Rome and is a global inclusive Rugby tournament, which sees LGBTQ+ and inclusive Rugby teams from across the globe come together for a weekend of sport and celebration. The tournament was first held in 2002 in memory of 9/11 gay rugby hero Mark Bingham, one of the passengers who fought back against hijackers on board United Flight 93 and whose brave actions prevented the plane from continuing to its intended target.

Fundraising activities to send the team to Rome have generated over £3500 with kitted-up players taking to the bars in Birmingham’s Gay Village selling shots and taking donations, as well as a series of ‘Cycle to Rome’ events at Asda stores where players cycled the distance to the Italian capital collecting donations from shoppers.

Birmingham Bulls RFC’s David Cumpston said, “The success of last year’s IGR Union Cup – which was organised and hosted by Birmingham Bulls – shows what a progressive and inclusive city Birmingham is. We’d love to continue to build upon the legacy of the tournament by competing in this World Championship tournament and hopefully cement Birmingham as the number one city for LGBTQ sports in the UK by bringing home some silverware”.

To keep up to date with the team’s progress, follow the Birmingham Bulls on social media @birminghambulsrfc or to find out more about the Bingham Cup, visit https://binghamcup.it/